The ski brake which is described in U.S. application Ser. No. 6,389 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,060, issued May. 19, 1981, has great advantages compared with conventional ski brakes, particularly with respect to the simple and effective pivoting of the individual braking mandrels from the braking position into the retracted position and vice versa. This structure however, requires, aside from the spring which is needed for pivoting the entire braking mechanism, additional springs which load the individual braking mandrels. The goal of the present invention is to improve this known construction, particularly by having the pivoting of the entire braking mechanism and also the rotation of the individual braking mandrels occur against the force of one single spring.
Through the inventive measure disclosed herein, the approximately 90.degree. rotation of each braking leg is achieved directly by stepping down on the pedal or by releasing the structural part to effect the rotation in the opposite direction of rotation. Further advantages are that the skier will have a secure feeling between the positions of swinging down of the braking mechanism and stepping down on the operating plate (in swung-down condition of the braking mechanism) relative to the support member, and that each braking leg is in the tilted position, namely lying above and within the upper side edges of the ski.
Both here and also in the following detailed description of the invention the collective term braking mechanism is to include such structural parts of the ski brake which are effective for changing their position during the braking and operating process.
A particularly preferable embodiment of the invention consists in the operating plate being able to be stepped down upon in the last stage of stepping down relative to the support member against the force of the erecting spring which pivots the entire ski brake, wherein the erecting spring has in the top view a substantially U-shaped design, the two free ends of which in its relaxed position define an angle .alpha. with the plane of the remaining parts of the erecting spring, which free ends in relaxed position extend at an acute angle .beta. with respect to one another, and wherein the erecting spring is arranged extending in direction of the longitudinal extent of the operating plate and is arranged resting at least with its two areas which have the individual ends on the underside of the stepping area of the operating plate and is arranged between said underside and the holding plate on the operating plate. This embodiment has the advantage that the use of one single spring is sufficient to pivot or rotate on the one hand the braking mechanism and on the other hand the two braking mandrels from the retracted position into the braking position.
A further inventive measure is that the support member and the operating plate are each constructed with a base form which is substantially rectangular, wherein the lateral edges of the support member are rolled in and downwardly toward the ski to form tubelike bearing structures, in which bearing structures is arranged a section of the braking leg acting as an axle part, wherein the inside diameter of the individual bearing structures have a clearance which permits substantially normally with respect to the longitudinal extent of the axle part of the braking leg a limited pivoting movement relative to the associated bearing end--is larger than the diameter of the axle part of the associated braking leg, and the lateral ends of the operating plate are bent pointing toward the ski and thus are constructed as a type of a hinge part, in which hinge parts a further section of the braking leg, which section acts as an operating part, is arranged, and the axle part and the operating part of the braking leg are connected through a bent section, which in turn is aligned extending at an angle of approximately 45.degree. from the axle part in direction toward the longitudinal axis of the ski. This embodiment assures a particularly good support of the individual braking legs and a compact construction of the entire pedal.
A different, also inventively important measure, consists in the pedal being constructed as a support member which is approximately U-shaped in the top view, the two arms of which support member are provided for receiving a swivel block having a rectangular recess, wherein the individual braking legs are arranged or supported extending substantially parallel with respect to the longitudinal direction of the ski and extending both through slotted holes of the support member and also through the individual swivel blocks, and in each swivel block being connected through a hinge to the operating plate.
Due to the fact that the operating plate is connected hingelike to two swivel blocks, wherein in the individual swivel blocks there are supported the individual braking wings, which also extend through slotted holes in the support member, it is inventively achieved that one single spring does not only produce the erecting force which is needed for pivoting of the entire braking mechanism from the retracted position into the braking position, but also that rotation of the individual braking legs by means of pressing the operating plate down relative to the support member can occur against the force of this spring. In other words: when the ski boot which presses down the operating plate is removed, the spring first urges the two braking wings and thus the operating plate into the swung-out position which corresponds with the braking position and subsequently from the retracted swung-out position into the braking position. The slotted holes which are provided for guiding the individual braking legs in the support member and the longer axis of which extends substantially at a right angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski, are thereby needed for compensating for the difference between the rotational movement of the individual hinge parts and the individual swivel blocks.